Research Guides: CE 423: Civil Engineering Senior Design: Business Research

Company Research

What companies work in the same field and make similar products?

Company News

Business news articles and press releases about the company's actions, products, and other developments.

ABI/INFORM This link opens in a new window
ABI/INFORM, a ProQuest database, is a comprehensive business database that includes current business news, developments and trends, business cases and case studies, actual and forecasted economic data, and peer-reviewed scholarly articles.
Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
Business Source Premier is a business database from EBSCOhost that collects news and research (full-text articles or citations) on companies, industries, people, and products from a range of trade journals, newspapers, market research reports, and academic journals.

Government filings

Search the SEC directly for company info.

EDGAR Database from the SEC
PUBLIC, AMERICAN ONLY.
More than 20 million filings, full-text as of the last four years, and historical records of the filings from 1994 until the present.
(Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval)

Industry Research

NAICS and SIC codes

Mergent Online, Hoover's Company Records, Data Axle and other company info databases list the company's industry codes (SIC and/or NAICS for American companies). Look for a company by name, and you can then use the industry code to find other companies in the same line of work.

Library Databases

Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Mergent Online provides global business and economic data, including company financials, industry analysis, and economic reports by country.
Business Market Research Collection This link opens in a new window
The Business Market Research Collection, a ProQuest database, is a curated collection of publications ideal for company, industry, economic, and geopolitical research. Contents include industry and company profiles (including Hoover’s Company Records), market and country reports, and economic briefings.
Data Axle • Reference Solutions This link opens in a new window
Data Axle provides comprehensive listings of business and consumer data throughout USA and Canada. Data Axle also provides a search engine for jobs and internships around the USA. Use Data Axle for business, marketing and career research. Access to this database is provided by the New Jersey State Library.

Industrial Classifications

North American Industrial Classification (NAICS)
2-6 digit code. NAICS was developed by the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 1997 and is "used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy." Manual and search are on U.S. Census website.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
4-digit code, still used in some government agencies. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) maintains the 1987 SIC manual so you can do a keyword search to find the relevant code.

Product & Market Research

Product Directories

Find the products currently for sale and the companies that make them with these free tools.

ThomasNet Industrial Product Database
Find industrial products currently for sale, including specifications and images. ThomasNet also conducts industry research in its Industry Insights blog.
MacRAE'S Blue Book Industrial Directory
Find the companies producing more than 2 million products and services from a directory of over 1 million industrial companies.

Market Research

Who wants to buy your product? How are similar products performing?

Business Market Research Collection This link opens in a new window
The Business Market Research Collection, a ProQuest database, is a curated collection of publications ideal for company, industry, economic, and geopolitical research. Contents include industry and company profiles (including Hoover’s Company Records), market and country reports, and economic briefings.

CE 423: Civil Engineering Senior Design

Company Research

What companies work in the same field and make similar products?

Company Information

Details about the company structure, leadership, revenue, etc.